Joan Mary Adelaide (Lamb) Bobak (1922 - 2014)

Born 25 Feb 1922 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Ancestors

Died 2 Mar 2014 at age 92 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

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Biography

Molly (Lamb) Bobak is Notable.

Molly (Lamb) Bobak is/was a significant British Columbian.

Molly Lamb was a Canadian painter, printmaker, teacher, and writer. During World War II, she was the first Canadian woman artist to be sent overseas to document Canada's war effort.

Molly was born in 1922, was the daughter of Harold Lamb and Katharine Lindsay. In 1931, their family was living at 1075 West 54th Ave. in Vancouver, British Columbia; her father was working as a secretary for a mining institute.^[1]

She studied at the Vancouver School of Art where she met artist Jack Shadbolt, who she remained friends with all her life.

During World War II, Molly was the first Canadian woman to be sent overseas as an official war artist. Her style in her journals from this time had a humorous tone and showed a woman's point of view of the war experience. A collection of these drawings were published in 1992 as Double Duty: Sketches and Diaries of Molly Lamb Bobak Canadian War Artist.

She married Bruno Bobak. After the war, their family lived on the West Coast where she spent her time painting, teaching, and raising their son Alex. Their family lived in Europe for a few years and then moved to Fredericton, New Brunswick, when Bruno was offered a position teaching at the University of New Brunswick.

She was awarded the Order of Canada in 1995 and the Order of New Brunswick in 2002.

She passed away in 2014.

Research Notes

Mother's name based on Molly's parents' marriage record and birth record for her brother, John.

On the 1931 census, her name was recorded as: Joan Mary Adelaide Lamb.

Sources

1. ↑ 1931 Census: "1931 Census of Canada," database with images, Ancestry Sharing Link - (Ancestry ca Record 62640 #7076860 : accessed 31 July 2023), Joan Mary Adelaide Lamb (11), single daughter, in household of Harold Mortimer Lamb (59) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; citing Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Seventh Census of Canada, 1931; Folder Number: T-27364; Census Place: Vancouver South, British Columbia, Canada; Page Number: 30.

See also:

• Amos, Robert. Harold Mortimer-Lamb: the Art Lover. Victoria, British Columbia: TouchWood Editions, 2013.
• Wikipedia: Molly Lamb Bobak
• Wikidata: Item Q3319624, en:Wikipedia
• Lumsden, Ian Gordon. "Molly Lamb Bobak". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 28 April 2020, Historica Canada. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/molly-joan-bobak. Accessed 11 August 2020.
• Molly Lamb Bobak (www.aci-iac.ca : accessed 31 July 2023).
• Molly Lamb Bobak: Canada's First Official Woman War Artist (www.gallery.ca : accessed 31 July 2023).
• Women in Service – The War Art of Molly Lamb Bobak (www.warmuseum.ca : accessed 31 July 2023).